King of Scars has three powerful narrators, each trying to overcome and manage their own personal demons.
Nikolai Lantsov, King of Ravka, is the first narrator. Nikolai is known for his intellect and charisma. With a couple words, he can charm almost anyone and with his ingenuity and intelligence, he is practiced in the art of achieving the impossible. However his confident façade hides the internal demons he fights every day, and the worry that his latest task might be too much for him. Not only must he rebuild the country, he must revitalize and update the military so it can stand against foreign invaders, and secure his spot on the throne. To make matters worse, his personal demons take on a physical manifestation that threatens to destroy everything he has built.
Zoya Nazyalensky is the second narrator and the commander of Ravka’s Second Army. In previous books, she was known for her beauty, power, and cold demeanor. Her abilities extend past that of most Squallers making her one of the most powerful Grisha in the world. However, like Nikolai, her cold demeanor masks her more fragile side, one that still feels the scars of what the Darkling did to her and to the ones she loves. She buries her fears and grief under arrogance, anger, and sarcasm to push others away. Despite her cold nature, she is fiercely loyal to Ravka and will do anything to make sure it thrives, even if it requires her to face her fears and emerge stronger than before.
Nina Zenik is the final narrator and is a spy for Ravka. This charming, powerful woman was a main character in the Six of Crows Duology and a force to be reckoned with. Although she was originally a Grisha Heartrender, her experience with jurda parem exchanged her influence over the living with power over the dead. While she managed to find friends and acceptance in Ketterdam, the death of her lover sent her north to Fjerda in the hopes of finding a final resting place for his body. While she is devoted to Ravka, she spends much of the early book devoid of purpose as she is still grieving over the loss of her love and learning to accept her strange and unsettling new powers.
King of Scars is a pretty good read. The plot meanders a lot in the beginning, recapping the events of previous books and trying to discover a definitive goal for its climax. Very little happens in the first 200 or so pages as the story searches for a plot, however, the pacing quickly picks up and maintains a steady increase as the story makes its way towards its climax. While the plot can be clunky or poorly executed in places, the story does a pretty good job with its characters and world building.
Nikolai, Zoya, and Nina all make great characters and each undergoes a very interesting character arc that was explored in great detail.
However, despite the book being known as King of Scars, Nikolai played the smallest role out of all three characters. To begin with, Nikolai and Zoya were always in the same place, making both their perspectives a little redundant at times. In addition, there was a much bigger emphasis placed on Zoya and her development rather than focusing on Nikolai or balancing the attention between them. To make matters worse, I found Nina’s story the most compelling out of all of them. I may have some bias as I loved Nina in Crooked Kingdom, however, not only was Nina dealing with a lost love, she was trying to find a new purpose and a way to help the Grisha who were trapped in a land that hated their very existence. An addition, every small reference to the trials Nina faced in Crooked Kingdom always brought a smile to my face.
Leigh Bardugo also did an amazing job enhancing her world building. Although Ravka and Fjerda are two places readers have previously explored, seeing the places years later with fresh eyes and a new perspective truly expands upon the Grishaverse we have come to know. It is interesting seeing how Ravka has grown and changed since its civil war, and it is amazing to get a more humane view of the Fjerdans, a country that has been demonized since Shadow and Bone. With this new view, we can get a more intricate view of the culture and the people who inhabit the country, as well as realize the similarities they share to people from other nations.
I give this 511 page book 4 stars.